Muslim law board denounces love jihad as 'false propaganda'

In the wake of a raging controversy over the issue of ‘love jihad’ raised by right wing outfits, All India Muslim Personal Law Board has decided to remove misconceptions among people with regard to the subject besides concepts pertaining to the Islamic law.

At a conference on ‘Islamic laws of nikah, polygamy and adoption’ organised on Sunday night, AIMPLB decided to enhance the activities of its Tafheem-e-Shariat committee to remove misconceptions about different aspects of the Sharia law, the board’s member Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangimahli said.

“Several speakers expressed concern over topics such as a non-Islamic subject like ‘love jihad’ being made an issue, attempts to spread hatred among the new generation about Islam, wrong reporting in media on Sharia law, presenting the Sharia views in a distorted manner in the courts.”

“AIMPLB’s efforts will be to underline the need to remove doubts among non-Muslims on Sharia and other issues,” he said. ‘Love jihad’ is the term being used by right wing Hindu outfits while referring to alleged conversion of Hindu girls through marriage, a concept which has been dubbed as “false propaganda” by Muslim religious leaders and scholars saying that Islam does not allow forced conversions.

Farangimahli said the Tafheem-e-Shariat committee would apprise the people, especially Muslim lawyers, on the concepts of nikah (marriage), polygamy, adoption and other such issues through seminars, books and other means, with a view to provide them better knowledge on these subjects so that they can present their case in the court properly, he said.

Besides the committee would also distribute pamphlets, books and use media for the purpose. To clear misconceptions, AIMPLB had organised similar conferences in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi and Aligarh and it now plans to hold another such conference next month in Allahabad, Farangimahli said, adding that by February next year, six such conferences would be organised in the country.

The speakers at the conference especially made reference to the allegations on Muslims regarding polygamy and pointed out that Islam permits it only under special  circumstances, Farangimahli said.